Method of and means for transporting valuables



- June 16, 1931. J. P. cAMP 1,810,641

I METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING VALUABLES Filed Oct. 20.1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m 7 F W i Z w, I 4. P d. v H a fi M l U/ m M n @w :wurnnunnn w m z 9 EM am 70, V .w w m M1 l i E H H June 16, 1931. J. P. CAMP 1,310,641 I IEITPIOD OF AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING VALUABLES Filed Oct. 20. 19221 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llWE/YTO/B:

(baa/w 84mm? Cam;

Patented June-16, 1931 UNITED STATES JOSEPH PARKER CAMP, or eEnMANrowN, PENNSYLVANIA 1 METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR T'RANSPCRTING VALUAIBLES I Application, filed October 20, 1928. Serial ,No. 313,722.

My invention relates to the transportation of cash and negotiable securities between banks and other fiduciary buildings, and such buildings and the buildings of industrial establishments. Formerly, such transportation was efiected in sacks carried by an armed messenger or messengers. However, in View of successful felonious attacks and robberies of such messengers, it is the present practice to eflect such transportation by messengers with sacks or other portable receptacles for the valuables, but with the messengers and such sacks contained in an armored truck; it being customary for each bank or similar fiduciary institution to have such an armored truck. However, such armored trucks are frequently successfully attacked and robbed, because the safety of the valuables being thus transported is dependent upon the personal prowess of the messengers or operatives of the truck who are provided with whatever keys or controlling means are necessary to release the valuables from their receptacles, and who may sacrifice their lives in defending the same.

It is the purpose and effect of my invention to remove the incentive to murder the.

guardians of such trucks by relieving them, entirely of the responsibility for defending the means for releasing the valuables from the truck by not only depriving them of any such means, but eliminating all such means from such trucks and placing all such releasing means in the custody of persons in the buildings respectively at the initial and destination-ends of the route over which the valuables are to be transported. In other words, my invention relates to a-method of and means for safely transporting valuables between buildings remote from each other;

and includes .the provision of a safe inclosure with lock mechanism, vehicle :wheels, and a motor, whereby they .may. be moved from one of said buildings to theother, without theaccompaniment of any means forcontrolling the lock mechanism; such controlling means beingpro-vided, at each of said buildings, in the custody of persons other than the operator or operators of said vehicle. As hereinafter described, a plurality of such may be blown open by explosives; are supplemented by providing the safe vehicle with normally idle emergency locking device adapted to automatically operate to. prevent the transportation of said vehicle when said device is released; said device being releasable by tripping means in said vehicle, accessible to the operator of'the vehicle motor. Such emergency locking device may be ap plicable to the vehicle wheels alone; for instance, means adapted to be pushed by the foot of the operator like an ordinary brake control, but without the usual means for restoring such brake control to idle position; so that when pushed, such tripping device locks the wheels with the brake mechanism so that they are releasable only by taking the vehicle structure apart; which operation would require more than burglars time. Such emergency device may also include means for renderlng the vehlcle motor lnoperatlve; for ms'tance electr1c switch means for opening the ignition circuits of the several cylinders of the motor. Moreover, my lnventlon provldes SPGClfiO' constructlon and arrangement of safe 1nclosures adapted for fixture in such an armored truck as above contemplated, and,

my invention includes the various novel features of construction, arrangement and method of procedure hereinafter more definitely specified. I

In saiddra-wings; Fig. I is a diagrammatic side elevation of a safe vehicle embodying my invention. i

Fig. II is a diagrammatic plan view of the interior of such a vehicle, including a plurality of safes in normally immovably fixed relation with the vehicle structure.

Fig. III is a vertical sectional View of one of the several inclosures indicated in Figs. I and II.

Fig. IV is a diagram showing the electrical connections of the safety appliances in said vehicle in accordance with my invention, in the condition in which when the safe inclosure is deprived of its guardian operator it is also automatically deprived of the means whereby itis normally transportable.

In said figures; the chassis frame 1 is provided with the vehicle wheels 2 and the motor 3. Said motor may be of the usual internal combustion type having controlling means including an electric ignition circuit for each of several cylinders extending thru the control box 5 within reach from the operators seat 7. Each of said wheels is provided with brake mechanism, indicated at 8, operable by the pedal 9, provided with the usual automatic spring actuated means for releasing it when relieved of the pressure of the foot of the operator. However, I also provide the emergency pedal 11 which extends thru said control box 5 and which, when depressed, is engaged in depressed position by means 11 secluded within said control box and inaccessible. except by dismantling the vehicle structure adjacent thereto. Said emergency pedal may operate an ignition circuit breaker and brake mechanism, so as to render the L vehicle inoperative both as to the operation of the motor and the rotation of the vehicle wheels by other means, until such emergency safety device is released and restored to its initial position.

Said chassis carries a normally closed body 2 conveniently formed of laminations of malleable steel and provided with rear doors 1a with locks 15. Said vehicle is provided, within its body 12, with safe inclosures 16, each rigidly connected with said body and chassis frame by means encased by the inclosure; for instance, bolts 17 extending thru the bottom wall 19 of the safe inclosure 16 into engagement with the adjacent vehicle member 20. V

I prefer to make each of said safe inclosures of the general character shown in III; wherein the base body 22.0f theinclosure is a rectangular box conveniently formed of malleable steel having an inwardly extending flange 2% which supports the inner lid 26 which is connected with said body at one end by the hinges 27 and provided with the lock 28 at the other end; said lock being controllable by the removable key 29. Said safe inclosure 16 is also provided with the outer lid 30 connected with said body 12 at one end by the hinges 31 and having the lock 32 at its opposite end. Said outer lid is preferably formed of three pieces connected with each other by the hinges 34: and 35 and with its intermediate piece 37 adapted to be rigidly connected with the opposite side walls of said body 12 by the slide bolts 39 which may be projected into locked position by turning the handle 40 only when the section 41 of said top lid has been unlocked and upturned.

It is to be understood that the construction and arrangement above described are such that it isnecessary to operate the three locking devices described before access may be had to the safe compartment 43 in which the valuables 45 are normally secluded.

The structures above described may be utilized as follows: The armored truck indicated in Fig. I may be backed up to a door in the building of the bank or trust company containing the securities. The custodian of the lock controlling means in such building, for instance, the keys indicated or the combinations of permutation locks, then opens one or more of the safe inclosures 16; the valuables 15 are placed therein and the inclosures relocked. Such valuables may be cash for the payroll of an industrial corporation having a deposit account with said bank or trust company. The truck is then driven away from the bank by an operator of the motor, without any means for. opening the safe inclosure or inclosures in which the valuables are thus secured. The truck proceeds to the building in which the valuables are to be delivered and which may be at any distance from the first building aforesaid. The truck may be backedup to the buildin where the valuables are to be delivered and the safe inclosures opened by the custodian of the lock controlling means in thatbuilding. Said valuables being thus delivered,

he safe inclosures may be relocked by said custodian and the vehicle may then proceed to deliver valuables from other safe inclo sures.

If the truck be attacked on the way, and the operator thereof. finds that he is unable to outdistance the attackers,he presses the emergency pedal 11 and thus instantly renders the vehicle inoperative bothas'to the operation of the motor and the rotation of the vehicle wheels by others means, until the emergency safety devices connected with said .pedal 11 are released and restored to their initial position by dismantling the control box 5, which is so arranged that it cannot be opened within the short burglars time necessary to effect a get-away with the truck. There is less inducement for the attackers to harm the motor operator or other custodians of the truck, for neither they nor the truck itself are provided with any means for opening the safety inclosures 16. Therefore, the only way in which unauthorized persons may get access to the valuables 45 is by the use of explosives to blow the safes 16 open, and it is practically impossible to do so within burglars time, with the truck halted upon the highway. If it were not for the emergency device 11 etc., the operator of the truck might be compelled to drive it to some secluded spot Where it could be blown open but said device obviates that contingency.

Moreover, said control box 5 may include an electric switch 47 operable by downward movement of the pedal 11 to close an electric circuit to operate the gong 4:8 or other audible signaling device; so that the latter. continues to sound when said pedal is moved to lock the wheels 2 from turning. Furthermore, in order to guard against the possibility of the motor operator 50 being shot and removed from the vehicle without having an opportunity to depress said pedal 11; I provide means for depressing said pedal automatically by the spring 51, conveniently concealed beneath the seat 7. Said spring tends to normally'uplift the rod 52 which is pivotally connected with the lever 53 which is operatively connected with said pedal 11, but said spring may be restrained by the slide bolt 55 when the latter is thrust inwardly to engage the collar 56 on said rod 52. Said rod extends to the seat 7 which is pivoted at 58; so that said spring, when released, tends to uplift said seat. However, the weight of the operator 50 is sufiicient to depress the spring to the inoperative position shown. Consequently, when the operator is on the seat 7 he may withdraw the slide bolt 55 so that, if he is shot and his body is removed from the seat, said spring 51 will then operate to depress the pedal 11, with the effect of locking the wheels, breaking the electric circuit of the ignition system, and sounding the alarm gong 48.

Altho I prefer to use safe inclosures 16 of the specific construction shown, and to utilize the same as described; I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction, arrangement or method of procedure herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A motor truck carrying a safe inclosure provided with locking means; removable means rigidly connecting said inclosure with said truck, incased bysaid inclosure and accessible only when said inclosure is unlocked; wherein the safe inclosure is provided with an outer door formed in three sections having hinges connecting them with each other;

being operable only by a handle normally concealed within said inclosure by said door and accessible only when the lock provided end of said door is opened.

2. A motor vehicle including a safe inclosure and provided with an operators seat; wherein the motor operators seat is operatively connected with an audible alarm signaling device; whereby an alarm is sounded when the operators weight is displaced from normal position on said seat; whereby, when said safe inclosure is thus deprived of its guardian, it is automatically deprived of the means whereby it is normally transportable.

3. A motor vehicle including a safe inclosure and provided with an operators seat; wherein the operators seat is operatively connected with means controlling the operation of the motor, and its wheels, and an audible alarm signaling device; whereby the motor is stopped, the vehicle wheels are locked, and the alarm signal sounded automatically as a consequence of displacement of the operators weight from normal position on said seat.

4:. A motor truck carrying a safe inclosure provided with locking means; removablev means rigidly connecting said inclosure with said truck, incased by said'inclosure and accessible only when said inclosure is unlocked; wherein the motor operators seat is operatively connected with an audible alarm sig naling device; whereby an alarm is sounded when the operators weight 1s displaced from normal position on said seat; whereby, when said safe inclosure is thus deprived of its guardian, it is automatically deprived of the means whereby it is normally transportable. V 5. A motor truck carrying a safe inclosure provided with locking means; removable means rigidly connecting said inclosure with said truck, incased by said inclosure and accessible only when said inclosure is unlocked; wherein the operators seat is operatively connected with means controlling the operation of the motor, and itswheels, and an audible alarm signaling device; whereby the motor is stopped, the vehicle wheels are locked, and

the alarm signal sounded automatically as a consequence of displacement of the operators weight from normal position on said seat; whereby, when said safe inclosure is thus deprived of its guardian, it is automatically de prived of the means whereby it is normally transportable.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this twelfth day of June, 1928.

JOSEPH PARKER CAMP. 

